Hawai'i.

I took this photo in January of 2013 while in Hawai'i. We stayed in Maui, and it rained for a lot of the trip. Rain at the beach is kind of one of my favorite things - we still had plenty of sunshine. This day, we all piled in a tiny rental car and decided to trek the road to Hana. The road to Hana is a 52 mile long, winding highway - mostly switchbacks up and down, and is nestled inside Maui's beautiful rain forest. There are tons of waterfalls and lush tropical plants to stop and take pictures of (and yes, I got MANY). We stopped at this beach on the way - the sky was gray and it sprinkled on us the whole time we were there. It was chilly, and the sound of waves and thunder really put me in touch with nature's authority and grandness. While taking this photo, I was almost taken out by a massive rolling wave. I underestimated its reach. This is my favorite photo from the trip, and I recently printed it and gave it to a friend for her birthday. This beach reminds me of her - beautiful and strong, and not to be underestimated.